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Marin will ease restrictions on coronavirus masks in certain indoor environments from October 15, the county said on Friday.
The Marin Ordinance applies to places such as gymnasiums, offices, carpool vehicles, religious gatherings and college courses. But there are conditions: no more than 100 people can be present; all should be fully immunized; the host or employer must be able to control access and maintain a list of those present; and the setting is not open to the general public.
“We are not ready to lift the mandate at all levels, but we are well positioned to ease restrictions for safer environments,” said Dr Matt Willis, county public health official. “Science shows that when an entire group is vaccinated, the risk of infection is much lower. Some settings have already adopted mandatory vaccination policies for all staff and clients, further encouraging others to follow suit. “
The indoor mask requirement remains in place at retailers and restaurants.
The announcement came a day after health officials in eight Bay Area jurisdictions released a set of criteria to lift their indoor mask warrants. Marin does not yet meet all the criteria.
County spokesperson Laine Hendricks called Friday’s announcement to extend exemptions to the indoor mask mandate that has been in place since Aug. 3.
“This is the first time that we have changed this original order of indoor masks that everyone is familiar with,” she said.
The county could more widely lift its indoor mask mandate in a few weeks. On Friday, he met two of the regional criteria: low hospitalization rates and high vaccination rates.
The other criterion concerns new infections. A jurisdiction must be in yellow – or moderate – transmission rate for three weeks according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention color-coding system.
Marin County is still at the orange level, which signifies significant transmission, but it is approaching the yellow level. It would take a seven-day average of 18 or fewer new cases per day.
The county registered 11 new cases one day this week and 12 another, but it also registered 20 new cases on Thursday, Hendricks said.
“Currently, Marin County meets two of the three criteria and hopes to progress to the final measure in the coming weeks,” she said. “Until these criteria are met, masks are still required in all other indoor public environments not described in the revised ordinance.”
Other jurisdictions that have developed the three-pronged set of criteria are Alameda, Contra Costa, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara and Sonoma counties, and Berkeley, which has its own public health department.
As of Friday, Marin County had documented 14,977 cases of COVID-19 during the pandemic. The death toll is 192.
According to the county, 92% of Marin residents aged 12 and over are fully immunized.
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